LONDON (AP) — Foreign Secretary William Hague says Britain is open to better relations with Iran on a “step-by-step” basis and he is willing to meet with Tehran’s foreign minister.

The Foreign Office says Hague stressed the need for “urgent progress” to resolve the West’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear program in a phone call with Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

It said Thursday that Hague “made clear that the U.K. was open to improvements in the bilateral relationship with Iran, on a step-by-step and reciprocal basis” and is willing to meet in New York in September during the United Nations General Assembly.

The call comes after Hasan Rouhani won Iran’s June 14 presidential election.

Rouhani has pledged to follow a “path of moderation,” reviving hopes for easing tensions with the West.